Green Homes

Recent Features

The airy, light-filled renovation of this 1930s stucco Spanish Tudor house in Georgetown, Massachusetts, is packed with eco-friendly features even though no green certification program was enlisted. A new bay, great room, patio, and garden completely transformed an awkward kitchen that itself had been a renovation of a two-door garage.

Intensive renovation has made this modest ranch house in the suburbs of Boulder, Colorado, an example of what all green builders strive for — a net zeroProducing as much energy on an annual basis as one consumes on site, usually with renewable energy sources such as photovoltaics or small-scale wind turbines. Calculating net-zero energy can be difficult, particularly in grid-tied renewable energy systems, because of transmission losses in power lines and other considerations. energy home. Changes include an extreme insulation retrofit, a 6kW photovoltaic(PV) Generation of electricity directly from sunlight. A photovoltaic cell has no moving parts; electrons are energized by sunlight and result in current flow. array installed on the roof, and an evacuated-tube solar hot water system.

Twenty-two homes in a cluster made for walking

Eno Commons takes the idea of green homebuilding to another level — the community level. The Durham, North Carolina, project includes 22 energy-efficient homes that, in accordance with the community concept at the heart of Eno Commons, encircle a comfortable walking path while car traffic and parking are kept to the perimeter.

This striking contemporary home is a model of sustainability on a budget

This north-Texas contemporary home earned the third-ever LEED for HomesLeadership in Energy and Environmental Design. LEED for Homes is the residential green building program from the United States Green Building Council (USGBC). While this program is primarily designed for and applicable to new home projects, major gut rehabs can qualify.
Platinum certification — but it could possibly share the award. The design of the LEED-H pilot home was inspired by architect Gary Olp's own energy-efficient house. Heather Ferrier, general manager for Ferrier Custom Homes, fell in love with Gary's place and enlisted him to rework the design into an affordable, comfortable, and sustainable home for her.